Sometimes a movie doesn't just tell a great story—it wraps you up in it and leaves you warm and fuzzy when it's over. That's what we call a feel-good movie. This year, Vince Vaughn starred in one, and the story of how this restaurant happened in real life, and the man behind it, is one I won't soon forget.
Nonnas, a new movie on the 2025 Netflix schedule, follows a man who honors his mother's memory by opening a restaurant operated by nonnas—Italian grandmothers—whipping up home-cooked meals. It's a true story, and in an interview with Vaughn about the film, he described how he met the real gentleman whose life inspired the movie and how the restaurant's success has expanded over the years:
That was a great experience, and I was really impressed with Joe. He started the concept with nonnas, where he would hire Italian grandmothers to come and cook their family recipes and it was a really a great experience, a family experience and the celebration of these women. And then he expanded it to nonnas of the world, where he started having different grandmothers from different cultures cook their food.
The restaurant that Vaughn references is the same one featured in the film, Enoteca Maria, which is still open on Staten Island today. It’s intending to stay the only one, too, as Vaughn said the owner is not looking to expand and wishes to “create a connection” with patrons. That was something the movie reflected too, as the actor told me:
He was not as focused or interested in monetizing it as much as he was more excited about new ideas or other things he wanted to do. So like any chef he's more focused on creating an experience, creating a feeling, creating a connection than he was as a business person. But he was really driven like the movie, to create an atmosphere where food is at the center of it, but an experience and a sense of community is a big part of it as well.
Hearing Vince Vaughn talk about his experience with the real-life Joe (named Joe Scaravella) will only make you love the movie more, because you can tell how much dedication and love was poured into it. There are plenty of great feel-good TV shows and films out there that you could watch – some you can probably even check out with a Netflix subscription. However, I’d personally say Nonnas is the most joyous film of 2025 so far.
The fact that the film is based on a true story, and it’s still open to this day, makes this movie even better, because it’s all about the sense of community. As someone who loves food as a side-passion of hers – literally any cooking show I will always check out – Nonnas is a foodie’s paradise. It’ll give you the same vibes as watching Chef for the first time. But while you might come there for the pretty-looking and delicious food, you stay for the soul of the film.
And that’s really what culinary arts is all about at the end of the day, uniting under a great experience and some good food. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Nonnas, I’d fully suggest it.
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